Bumper Boro output beckoning Cumilla, Rajshahi farmers

Enthusiastic farmers are expecting a bumper Boro paddy production in the current season exceeding the fixed farming target in Manoharganj upazila of Cumilla district and Rajshahi region including its vast Barind tract, reports BSS.
In Cumilla, Talking to the news agency, officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said harvesting of Boro rice continues in full swing with excellent yield rate in Manoharganj upazila of the district.
As the govenment gave necessary support to make the intensive Boro rice farming programme a success, farmers have brought more land under its farming exceeding the fixed farming target despite crop diversification in the district.
Md. Abdul Majid, a veteran farmer of Dishaband village, told the news agency, "I have planted Boro paddy in more lands this year than in last few years. I hope to have about three hundred mounds of Boro paddy in my three acres of land. The present government is a farmer friendly government.
"We got a super bumper Boro paddy production as the climatic condition was favourable this season," he said.
Farmer Kamrul Islam of Latsar village in the upazila thanked the government for ensuring smooth supply of fertilisers, pesticides, diesel, power and other facilities to the farmers to make their Boro rice farming programme successful.
In Rajshahi, farmers have started harvesting Boro paddy at present with festivity following a satisfactory yield in the region including its vast Barind tract.
Now, most of the farming fields have taken an eye-catching look as early varieties of paddy are now in ripening stages.
The mind-blowing yield has created a high hope of supplementing the government efforts of ensuring food security.
At this initial stage, farmers are seen harvesting some high yielding and short duration varieties like BR-28 and local jira variety generating job scopes for the seasonal workers. The other varieties will be harvested within the next two to three weeks.
Abdul Matin, a farmer of Choitannapur village under Godagari upazila, said he has harvested 22 mounds of yield of BR-28 from each bigha of land, while last year's yield was 19 mounds.
He has cultivated Boro paddy on 12 bighas of land this season saying all of his farming conditions are very much optimistic.
Golam Mostofa, 56, another farmer of Kacharipara village, who have brought 15 bighas of land under the paddy farming this season. He has harvested a few parts of the paddy attaining 23 mounds of yield of jira variety from per bigha of land.
Mozammel Haque, 54, another farmer of Shitlai village under Paba upazila, has cultivated paddy on 17 bighas of land this season whereas the previous season's acreage was 15 bighas.
Good yield and enhanced selling prices of both paddy and straw have encouraged him to cultivate paddy on more lands.
I have sold only straw worth around Taka 85,000 in addition to the paddy last season," Haque said, adding many of his co-villagers have attained success in paddy farming.
Sub Assistant Agriculture Officer Atanu Sarker said that the farmers are now delighted over their achieved yield, adding: "Suitable climatic conditions and government support to the farmers are being judged as the main reasons behind the good yield."
He added that the price of both paddy and rice during the previous Boro, Aush and Aman were seen to increase as a result of government-level rice procurement drives inspiring the farmers to cultivate Boro paddy on more lands.
Sarker also said the farmers can harvest some of the advanced varieties including BR-28 within the next five to six days.
The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has set the target of producing 3.55 million (35.51 lakh) tonnes of paddy from 0.81 million (8.12 lakh) hectares of land in all eight districts of the Rajshahi division during the current season. But, fortunately, the enthusiastic farmers have brought 0.82 million (8.21 lakh) hectares of land generating scopes of additional rice production, Khayer Uddin Mollah, Deputy Director of DAE, said.
Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) has taken diversified steps including farmers' training, projection plot and supplying of the newly developed high yielding varieties among the growers to make the IRRI-Boro farming a total success.